The New World Post CoronaVirus

As Singer-songwriter John Lennon once said “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” This is precisely what happened to the world as it was struck by the CoronaVirus pandemic. With danger looming around with no imminent end and many speculative scenarios, the assumption that this devastating tragedy will forever change the world becomes very plausible.

The surge of Videoconferencing Applications
Zoom and other videoconferencing applications have proven to be extremely helpful and effective during the epidemic. Not only businesses were able to use these tools to conduct meetings, even news media has resorted to them. News agencies have been able to conduct interviews with doctors and experts via these mediums. Thus this will open up the door to many more similar apps to flood the app-stores.

Accelerated digital transformation
Thanks for the pandemic, businesses, schools, universities and restaurants have realized the importance to gearing up towards becoming digital.  Resorting to e-commerce websites , delivery applications , and online courses have become crucial to any business’ survival.

Live Streaming
The trend of live steaming witnessed a surge in usage. From doing concerts to cooking classes to cycling marathons to gym classes, everything you can think of has been turned into a live streaming opportunity. Thus businesses have realized the importance of live streaming as an effective marketing tool.

Working from Home
Having been forced to let employees work from home during the pandemic, business owners realized that outcome is more important than shifts. As long as the job is getting done, there is no need to keep tabs on employees. Post-CoronaVirus employers have realized that it is all about the bigger picture. In order to focus on what is important time is of the essence thus there is no need for long meetings and presentations.  However with the typical nine-hours workdays no longer existing and the need to be continuously online, bosses will learn to exercise self-control and not takeover their employees’ life, bearing in mind that they are not dealing with a robot whose sole purpose in life is to serve them and their interests. Employees need to allocate quality time for themselves and their family in order not to burnout.

Empowerment
During the pandemic certain employees have proven themselves to be independent and in no need of management, thus employers have realized  that employees handle the business far better than  newly hired managers and consultants.

Frontline Workers
The need to re-evaluate the importance of frontline employees becomes imminent as they proved themselves to be essential during the pandemic.

 Hygiene Practices
If Coronavirus has taught us anything, it is the power of good hygiene practices. With restaurants implementing rigorous hygiene practices, this will become a permanent part of their operations:
– Washing hands repeatedly.
– Wearing gloves and a mask when handling food.
– Giving sick-leave to any mildly sick employee.
– Disinfecting the kitchen and space.

Traveling
After Coronavirus, according to paper from Imperial College London  governments will need to turn lockdown measures on and off to keep thing in check. Furthermore, travelers will be needing more than only their passports to travel, some health certificates might be also required.

Automation
Long before the CoronaVirus pandemic hit, experts were speculating that sooner or later robots will replace humans in certain work areas. But with social distancing being demanded, which is suspected to continue, post CoronaVirus , certain businesses will accelerate their use of automation especially in the medical as well as well delivery field.

No matter what the future might bring, we need to go forth. As the poet Patrick Overton, once said, “When you walk to the edge of all the light you have and take that first step into the darkness of the unknown, you must believe that one of two things will happen. There will be something solid for you to stand upon or you will be taught to fly.”

 

The King of Hoteliers

César Ritz, nicknamed the King of Hoteliers, was a Swiss man who headed and founded several reputable hotels such as the Ritz and Carlton. His savviness and dedication to the craft was the chore foundation of guidelines that many hoteliers abide by nowadays.

More than 100 years since his passing, the youngest of 13 children in a poor peasant family, is still hailed as the most exceptional hotelier to have ever lived.

Although in the beginning he was labeled as a failure and dismissed by his first boss, this exceptional man, managed to turn things around and prove himself to be what this industry desperately needed: a quick thinker who prioritized guests to the utmost level, thus making them feel like kings.

The once peasant-boy became the aristocrats’ confidant and an expert in elegance.  His good taste earned the Grand Hôtel National, which he managed in Lucerne, the title of the most elegant hotel in Europe.

He kept rules simple and his motto was “the customer is always right” no matter what.

He always instructed his staff to see without looking, to hear without listening, to be attentive without being servile and to anticipate without being presumptuous.

The hotelier from a humble Swiss background was a visionary, who had an acute sense of resourcefulness and an impeccable tact. He instructed staff never to argue with guests, if a diner complained about a dish or a wine, for example, it was to be removed and replaced immediately without questions.

César Ritz, in his pioneering thinking, also founded what would later be known as the hygiene and cleanliness guidelines in hotels. Nothing escaped him, not even the minor details, everything needed to be perfectly neat and clean.

The hotelier, also knew that in order for a hotel to be labeled outstanding, it needs to serve high-end food. That is why when heading the Savoy hotel in London, he hired a brilliant chef, Auguste Escoffier, who introduced the English community to the subtlety and delicacy of French haute cuisine.

The man from a humble Swiss background grew to be the elites’ favorite and head an empire. In 1896, he partnered with South African millionaire Alfred Beit, and opened what would become the celebrated Hôtel Ritz in the Place Vendôme. After that, César Ritz’s grew bigger and stronger, expanding all over the globe. Nevertheless, till his death, he remained loyal to those who were by his side since the beginning, he enjoyed a long partnership with the renowned French chef Auguste Escoffier.

 

Punch Your Feelings Away

Don’t Take This The Wrong Way, a groundbreaking design studio based in Savannah, Georgia, boasts itself for being a business space where design can breathe. The company offers clients possibilities rather than solutions, meaning rather than a quick fix, food for thoughts rather than agendas.

True to its name, the original company found a creative way to relieve the stress endured by their community by installing, across Manhattan, public boxing bags in order to cater to negative emotions of average-Joe’s.

The concept explores designing common spaces for the frustrations people face. Frustrations that go beyond designed systems and happen, well, because we are simply human.  The public punching bag invites citizens to develop a healthier way to address personal and collective issues in a public setting rather than unleashing it on their neighbors.

The initiative was launched under the umbrella of New York City Design Week 2019, the city’s official celebration of design that takes place each May, including exhibitions, installations, trade shows, talks, launches and open studios.

Digit Robot

The delivery industry will soon be shaken by the irruption of robots. Ford, the mega cars, pick-up trucks and SUVs producer, is set to launch a delivery robot which basically transports packages from a self-driving car to clients’ doorsteps.

Thanks to a partnership with Agility Robotics, they produced a human-like robot capable of carrying 40-pound packages.

The robot goes by the name : “Digit”, it can climb steps, walk on uneven ground, navigate around obstacles on its path in order to place a package in front of a door.

If Ford’s Digit gets confused while carrying a package, it asks guidance from the Ford’s vehicles.

Ford still didn’t disclose whether or not it will launch a commercial delivery program with Digit.

Previously, Ford test drove a similar program with Domino’s to deliver their pizzas but customers had to walk to the delivery vehicle and enter a code on a touchpad before a back-seat window would open to reveal their ordered pizza.

In a world totally run by profits and losses, the makers of such robots might should perhaps consider the fact that as they are trying to replace certain jobs with AI, one day their jobs might be jeopardized and face the same fate. As the popular saying goes, “As you do to others, the same shall be done to you”.

Top Weirdest Ice-Cream Flavors

During summer time, when the sun is burning nothing like a nice cup of ice cream to freshen-up. However, for the daring souls looking for something more than quenching their thirst during heat waves, hereby are our top 5 weirdest ice cream flavors available across the world:

Sparky’s Cicada Ice Cream
COLUMBIA MISSOURIAN
Sparky’s launched a Cicada insect, flavored ice cream. The insects were collected by employees in their backyard, boiled and coated in brown sugar and milk chocolate before being added to ice cream.

Lick Me I’m Delicious Jellyfish Ice Cream
BRISTOL, ENGLAND
Lick Me I’m Delicious is the home of all the awesome contraptions you could ever want and need. From liquid nitrogen ice cream to edible mist, instant logopops or candyfloss whizzers. But their most awesome concoction is the glowing ice-cream. The glow is a resultant of their use of ice cream infused protein jellyfish. The glowing is activated when the ice cream is licked thanks to calcium-activated proteins, which react when agitated.

Little Baby’s Pizza Ice Cream
PHILADELPHIA, PENSILVANIA
Little Baby’s pizza flavored ice cream, is made with tomato, oregano, salt, basil and garlic.

Lucky Pickle Ice Cream
MANHATTAN, UPPER WEST SIDE
Lucky Pickle Dumpling Co is serving up pickle soft-serve,  made out fresh-pressed cucumber, it’s a combination of creamy,  spicy flavor.

Ice Cream Parlor Chili Peppers Ice Cream
GLASGOW, SCOTLAND
Nicknamed ‘Breath of the Devil’, the Carolina Reapers chili peppers ice cream that customer sign a liability waiver before eating it.

McDonald’s Durian McFlurry
SINGAPORE&MALYSIA
The smell of durian might be known for its disgusting smell and texture, however it is a trend that is here to stay, so much so that  McDonald’s McFlurry launched it in Singapore and Malaysia.

Salt and Straw Devil’s Blood Pudding
PORTLAND&L.A
This ice cream is specifically crafted for thrill shreekers. This intoxicatingly impelling ice cream flavor  is a mix of spices and cream cooked into real blood pudding, with a hint of chicken liver, and then spun in our ice cream laboratory.

Merely Salad Dressing Ice Cream
SINGAPORE
Frozen salad dressing, olive oil – lemon-basil, turned into a tangy, savory, and salty ice  cream.

Modular Hotels

You might have heard about modular homes without actually knowing it. They are usually referred to as prefabricated homes rather than modular homes.  Modular construction involves building sections assimilate it all at the end. Inter- inter-connections ties in the prefabricated sections section all together to form the overall structure.

This type of construction involves also hotels. Marriott, began researching modular construction in 2014 to offset lengthening hotel construction times – a trend attributed to the nation’s building boom and resulting labor shortages.

Prefabrication is a process that Marriott has found typically reduces the construction timeline, curbs site waste and noise, and results in a higher-quality product produced with factory level precision. The time savings comes from the ability to perform two crucial functions simultaneously – building the public spaces on site while manufacturing the guest rooms offsite.Besides finished, painted walls, each “module” will contain a fully outfitted guest room – with beds, sheets, pillows, flooring and even toiletries.

The world’s tallest modular hotel is on track to be stacked in late fall in New York City with prefabricated and pre-furnished guestrooms. Once erected over a 90-day period, the 360-foot-tall tower will represent a milestone for Marriott’s ongoing initiative to encourage hotel developers in North America to embrace modular for new construction projects. To be topped with a modular roof and modular rooftop bar, the world’s tallest modular hotel is expected to open in late 2020 as the AC Hotel New York NoMad.

The 168-room, 26-story AC Hotel New York NoMad is scheduled to rise at 842 Sixth Avenue with prefabricated guestrooms arriving at the hotel site fully constructed, inside and out. Besides finished, painted walls, each “module” will contain a fully outfitted guest room – with beds, sheets, pillows, flooring and even toiletries. The hotel’s roof and rooftop bar are expected to be produced using modular construction, and its more customized public areas such as the restaurant and lobby are expected to be constructed using traditional methods.

The Potato Hotel

What began as a publicity stunt to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Idaho Potato Commission became an Airbnb accommodation. Established in 1937, the Idaho Potato Commission (IPC) is a state agency that is responsible for promoting and protecting the famous “Grown in Idaho®” seal, a federally registered trademark that assures consumers they are purchasing genuine, top-quality Idaho® potatoes. Idaho’s ideal growing conditions, including rich, volcanic soil, climate and irrigation differentiate Idaho® potatoes from potatoes grown in other states.

The potato shaped facility was created to commemorate the 75th anniversary; however, it was converted into a 200$ rentable facility in Idaho, South Boise, at the heart of a 400 farmland.

Recycled from the Idaho Potato Commission’s Big Idaho Potato Tour, this 6-ton potato has traveled on the back of a semi to (48) states for seven years. Now resting on 400 acres of good ol’ Idaho farmland,   this hotel has been meticulously designed by Kristie Wolfe, a former Big Idaho Potato Tour spokesperson, to allow stylish private comfort with amenities such as power outlets for electronic devices, a mini fridge, old records to play and a custom-built bed.
There is also a customized silo turned into a spa retreat perfect for soaking while looking up at the stars. For an extra dose of cuteness, The Big Idaho® Potato Hotel comes with the cutest jersey cow in the world who will be your fuzzy pet for the stay.

Equipped with an AC, a kitchenette, a chimney, a bedroom for two, the accommodation has a minimalist charm. However in-line with the allure of a country life, the hotel doesn’t have WiFi nor a TV. Cut from technology it is the ideal place for those seeking to detox and escape the hectic every day life. If you love the fluffy feeling you get when you eat Idaho potatoes, you’ll love staying in a giant potato turned cozy, grown-up getaway for two!

Dating App for Cows

You most likely have heard about Tinder the location-based social search mobile app that allows users to like or dislike and chat with other users. The app is used for scoring dates.

But you surely haven’t heard about Tudder a new swipe-led matchmaking app, helping farm animals across the UK find their mate. The app, designed by SellMyLivestock, seeks to reunite farm animals with their mates, featuring data-profiles of farm animals from 42,000 farms across the UK.

Playing the role of matchmakers, farmers can download the app, and through their phone swipe right for yes and left for no in the search for the perfect match for their livestock.

Launched on Valentine, this app claims to be better than Tinder because it puts a lot of information that will able farmers to predict what their cattle’s offspring will be.

According to SellMyLivestock, farmers have been responding so well to the app, to the point it has listed over £50 million ($64 million) of livestock, feed, and bedding to sell in the last year.

In the era of dead romance, where you simply have to swipe left or right to find your “one”, it comes as no surprise that the same experience is being equated to animals mating experience.

Shopping for a Date

IGA Extra Marché Famille, located in Quebec, a supermarket launched special caddies marked, “single” in order to allow their clients to mingle and find their match while they are getting their groceries done.

According to the owner, Luc Julien, the idea wasn’t actually his, it was a request from one of his clients. He came up to him and asked if he could do an event for single men and women in order to help them meet-up in the grocery store in order to find a date.

After brainstorming with the team, the owner came up with supermarket caddies for singles, which is a shopping-cart with a status “single” marked on it.

Customers searching for a date can approach fellow single shoppers in hopes of getting acquainted. What comes after that is up for the clients.

Surprisingly this unusual supermarket slash dating concept, turned out to be a crowd favorite. It gained attention from locals as well as media agencies.

In the era of Tinder and social-media, where people are searching for anyone or anything to muffle the sound of loneliness, it comes as no surprise that even supermarkets are tapping into this need. The saying goes that “love is found in the oddest places”, but I don’t think they had shopping cart for singles in mind when they said that.

The Benefits of Carbs

Carbohydrates has  been the subject of scrutiny and had packed the punches from dieters however carbs have endless benefits.

We invite you to look pass the wrongful stipulations and go straight to the truth.

Carbs are your body’s main source of energy; it fuels the brain, the kidneys, the heart muscles and central nervous system. It even aids in digestion and helps you feel full whilst keeping blood cholesterol levels in check.

Starches, fiber and sugars fall under the category of carbohydrates. Complex carbohydrates aka starches are found in grains, legumes and some vegetables like potatoes and corn. Sugar is naturally found in vegetables fruits milk and honey whilst added sugar is found in processed foods, syrups, drinks and sweets.

A deficiency in carbs can cause headaches, fatigue, concentration problems, as well as nausea, constipation, and bad breath.

It is advised to get your dose of carbohydrates mainly from whole grains as it helps you feel full and satisfied with smaller portions.

According to Archives of Internal Medicine, carbs promote the production of serotonin, a feel-good brain chemical. Thus it helps fight depression, anxiety and anger.

Research conducted by Brigham Young University in Utah found that those who increase their fiber consumption generally lost weight contrary to those who decrease it.

Too much of a good thing is bad, same ideology applies to carbs. Though they are packed with benefits, you need to make sure you are eating it in moderation to avoid high blood sugar and unwanted weight gain. You need to give your body the nutritional carbs it needs and maintain a healthy weight.